Well-drilling apparatus



June 1l, 1929. A R P, 5|MM0NS 1,717,271

WELL DRILLING APPARATUS l Filed May 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet l R. P. slMMoNs WELL DRILLING APPARATUS 29, 1928 v5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May jle/755%@ ATTOR NEY vJune l1, 1929. R P SIMMONS 1,717,271

WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Filed May 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 n j-7550). 8. I

1 I Z0 'l 20 lNvENroR O BY ,m n

n ATTORNEY June 1l, 1929. R, P. slMMoNs 1,717,271

WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Filed May 29, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 June 11, 1.929. R P, STMMONS 1,717,271

WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Filed May 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ,f ,v'fJ/. ,fvfL/.

l v ATTORNEY WITNESS: 4,1

Patented `une il, 1922.

UNITED STATES RICHARD P. SIMMONS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WELL-DRILLING APPARATUS.

Application filed May 29,

rllhis invention relates to improvements in rotary core barrels for drilling wells.

The primary object of the invention resides in the construction of a rotaryT core barrel which gradually moves downward through a well casing and which receives a core of earth formed by a rotatable reamer which is extensible through the lower end of the well casing to ream a hole of a size to permit the casing to be lowered downward, the rotation of the casing serving to impart similar movement to the core barrel and guide the same, the core being severed within the core barrel when filled by a novel form of severing means, whereupon the core barrel may be lifted to the surface of the well without removing the well casing, the core then being released from the core barrel, after which it is again lowered into the well for further drilling.

Another object of the invention is to provide a core barrel for well drilling apparatus which is progressively moved downward into the well to receive the core or dirt or rock formed by a rotary roaming tool, the mouth of the core barrel being normally open to receive the core, while a cylinder telescopes the same and is provided with flexible claws normally extending on a plane even with the side walls thereof, but which are guided inwardly of the core barrel upon the downward movement of the cylinder to form inwardly eX- tending claws or fingers which co-act to sever the core and close the open mouth of the same to retain the core within the core barrel during the lifting of the same to the surface of the well.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a reamer and core barrel which rotate simultaneously during a drilling operation, and a driving hammer for pounding the reamer and corebarrel downward to effectively cause the core cut by the reamer to pack into the core barrel.

Another object of the invention is to simplify, make more economical, rapid, safe and flexible the art of drilling oil wells. A deep well coring apparatus that will eliminate the constant pulling of the entire casing to empty the core, as the core barrels of the present method of coring is threaded on to the last joint of the casing, which not only retards progress, but is uneconomical and not safe as it leaves the drilled portion of the well totally unprotected from the earth coring in.

1928. Serial No. 281,479.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel construction and combination and arrangements of parts, the essential features of which are hereinafter fully described, are particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view through a well drilling rig provided with my improved reaming tool and core barrel.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view through the reaming tool and core barrel.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a core extending into the core barrel and the core severing means in operative position.

Figures 4:, 5 and 6 are horizontal sectional views on the lines 4 4 and 5 5 of Figure 2 and 6 6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the core barrel per se.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of the core severing member.

Figure 9 is a bottom plan view of the core severing member.

Figure l0 is a bottom plan View of the reaming tool.

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the line 11 11 of Figure 2.

Figure 12 is a detail vertical sectional view on the line 12 12 of Figure 10.

Figure 13 is a detail fragmentary side elevation of one of the cutting elements of the roaming tool.

Figure 14 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a modified construction.

Figures 15 and 16 are fragmentary vertical sectional views through a modied form of reamer and core barrel.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, the numeral 10 designates a core barrel tubular housing having its lower end threaded to a ring coupling member 11 to which my improved reaming tool 12 is thread,- edly connected and which tool is of a novel construction which will be hereinafter more fully described.' The reaming tool drills a circular hole of a size slightly wider than the thickness of the walls of the coupling member to form a core as shown in Figure 3 and to allowv the well casing to be progressively lowered into the well during drilling. The top end of the tubular core barrel housing is threaded to an anvil 13 which also acts as a coupling for threadedly connecting the housing 10 to a tubular shell section 14.

Also threaded to the anvil 13 and depending therefrom is a core barrel 15 shown per se in Figure 7 of the drawing, and which has its upper end provided with equi-distantly spaced slots 16 to provide spaced strips 17. A horizontal partition 18 is xed within the core barrel below the closed ends of the slots 16 to serve as a top wall therefore. The diameter of the core barrel is less than the interior diameter of the core barrel housing 10 and telescoping the core barrel and slidable in the space between the same and the housing 10 is a cylinder 19 having its top wall provided with slots 2O for the passage of the strips 17. The cylinder 19 is shown in detail in Figures 8 and 9 of the drawings, and has diametrically opposed sets of flexible fingers 21, 22 and 23 of gradually decreasing lengths, allv of said fingers being pointed as at 24, the beveled edges of the shorter fingers 23 being disposed at a more acute angle t-han the beveled edges of the pointed ends of the fingers 21 and 22 for a reason to be hereinafter pointed out. The fingers are constructed of strong flexible steel in which their normal position is exterior of the cylinder, excepting the fingers 21 which terminate within the side walls of the cylinder, all of which lingers will bend under the influence of pressure to serve as co-acting core severing members and a bottom for the core barrel.

The core barrel is provided with spaced slots 25 in the lower end thereof while the coupling 11 is likewise provided with curved slots 26 which register with the slots 25 and through which the respective fingers 21, 22 and 23 are guided to move into the core at an angle upon the downward movement of the telescoping cylinder 19 as seen by reference to Figure 3 of the drawing.

Suspended from the anvil 13 is a steam or compressed air cylinder 27 while reciprocable within the cylinder is a piston 28 which extends through the lower end of the cylinder and connects with the telescoping cylinder 19. Steam or air hose 29 lead from the surface of the well for supplying and exhausting air of steam pressure to opposite sides of the piston head to impart the desired reciprocations thereto. The passage of the pressure through the hose is controlled by suitable valve means at the surface of the well.

The reaming tool 12 hereinbefore mentioned includes a ring like body 30 which has rotatable cutting disks 31 arranged at spaced intervals therearound, and which disks cut a groove in the bottom of the well of a set diameter. Interposed between each alternate set of cutting disks are rotary reamers 32 journalled in the body on a vertical axis and which have their peripheral cutting edges extending beyond the interior peripheral wall of the ring like body to cut the earth or rock at a plane beyond the body. Also interposed between alternate sets of cutter disks 3l are expansible reamers 33, having their vertical axes disposed in tangential slots 34, whereupon the reamers 33 will be automatically expanded beyond the outer side walls of the ring like body upon clockwise rotation of the body to cut a pla-ne beyond the body to allow a following well casing 40 to be lowered into the well hole while counter clockwise rotation of the body will effect retraction of the reamers to a position within the body. By this arrangement, the expansion and retraction of the reamers 33 is automatically controlled which is necessary for the lifting of the core barrel to the surface for emptying to prevent the expansible reamers from striking the walls of the well.

Threaded to the upper end of the tubular shell casing 14 is a cylindrical body 35 from which a pneumatic hammer 36 is suspended, there being cushion springs 37 interposed between the body and thetop end of the hammer casing to absorb any vibration caused by the reciprocation of the hammer head 38 which is disposed directly above the anvil 13. The pneumatic hammer is of the usual well-known construction and is operable by the control of compressed air carried thereto by an air hose 38 leading down from the surface of the well.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows The entire unit is rotated from the surface or by a suitable motor 41 such as shown in the modified Aform in Figure 14 which will be more freely explained hereinafter whereupon the reaming tool 12 cuts a circular path, the material within the cut forming a core which gradually moves into the core barrel 15 as the drilling proceeds and the core barrel moves downward. During the rotary drilling, the pneumatic hammer 36 is set in position for pounding on the anvil which tends to drive the unit downward. lhen the core formed by the reaming tool completely fills the core barrel, compressed air or steam is let into the top of the cylinder 27 to actuate the piston 28 which imparts a downward movement to the telescoping cylinder 19. As the cylinder 19 moves downward, the curved slots 25 and 26 lead the flexible resilient fingers 21, 22 and 23 inwardly of the core barrel, whereby they serve to sever the core of earth as the unit is still rotating. When the resilient fingers reach the limit of their inward movement, the beveled ends 24 of the opposed fingers are in meeting engagement with each other as seen in Figure 6 of the drawings, the next longer fingers 22 have their beveled ends meeting the right angle corners of the fingers 21, while the shorter fingers 23 have their beveled ends fitting against the adjacent edges of the fingers 21 and 22 whereby a substantially closed bottom is provided at the lower end of the core barrel to retain the core of earth therein during the lifting of the unit from the well. The entire unit is hoist-ed upward through the follower and well casing 40 to the surface, whereupon the cylinder 19 is retracted by the actuation of the piston 2S to draw in the fingers to free the lower end of the core barrel from any obstruction. The core is now free to drop from the core barrel and be deposited upon the surface of the well, after which the unit islowered into the well for further drilling. The pneumatic hammer serves to pack the core of earth in the core barrel during drilling operation, and may be operated to free the core therefrom in the event that it should stick when lifted to the surface for emptying.

In Figure 14, I have illustrated a slight modified form in which the same elements are shown and in which similar reference characters refer to like parts. The only difference resides in the spacing of the telescoping cylinder 19 from the core barrel housing 10 and the core barrel 15. Also the tubular housing 14 is loosely connected to a head 42 rather than by a fixed thread connection. This Jfacilitates a slight movement of the tubular casing during vibration caused by the pneumatic hammer. This view also shows the motor 41 and cable 43 by which the rig or unit is suspended from the well surface.

In Figure 15, I have shown a core barrel 44 shown and explained in detail in my copending application Serial No. 272,7 99, filed April 25, 1928.

In Figure 16, I have shown a modified form of core barrel for use in drilling through rock whereby the core of rock may be broken off` when the core barrel is full. The core barrel is constructed of two tubular sections 51 and 52 threadedly connected together by a coupling member 53 having coarse external threads 54. The upper core section 52 is threaded to the anvil 13 while the lower core section freely engages a coupling member 11 to which a modified form of rock reamer 12 is threadedly connected.

The core barrel is enclosed in a tubular housing constructed of tubular sections 55 and 56, threadedly connected together by a coupling 57 which is provided with coarse internal threads 58 for co-action with the threads 54 of the coupling 53. The upper end of the tubular section 56 loosely engages the anvil 13 while the lower tubular section 55 is threaded to the coupling 11. By this arrangement, it will be seen that by turning the core barrel in one direction, the same will move longitudinally in one direction within the tubular casing, whereupon reverse turning movement of the core will reverse the longitudinal movement of the same in a direction opposite to the longitudinal movement of the tubular casing. The inner walls of the sections 55 and 56 are provided with annular projecting cams 59 which serve to depress pivoted spring actuated dogs 60 arranged at opposite ends o'f the core barrel, respectively disposed on opposite sides of the axis thereof. Normally the dogs are disposed in a retracted position as shown in Figure 16 of the drawings to allow the rock core to pass into the core barrel, but after the rock core lls the core barrel, the rotation of the same is reversed to cause the core barrel and tubular casing to move in opposite directions which allows the annular cams 59 to engage and forcibly press against the dogs 60. By reason of the opposite pressure applied to the rock core, the same will snap or break and be held jammed against the walls of the core barrel to allow the rig to be lifted to the surface and the core released. The coacting threads 54 and 58 cause the longitudinal movement of the core barrel with respect to its outer housing.

Vhile I have described what I deem to be the most desirable embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many of the details may be varied without in any way departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not limit myself to theexact details of construction herein set forth nor to anything less than the whole of my invention limited only by the appended claims.

Vhat is claimed as new is 1. In well drilling apparatus, a rotary core barrel open at one end, a telescoping cylinder slidable over said core barrel, and flexible resilient fingers carried by said cylinder and guided inwardly through slots in the lower end of the core barrel for severing a core extending into said core barrel and co-acting to close the open end thereof.

2. In a well drilling apparatus, a tubular rotatable casing having a reaming tool at the lower end thereof, a core barrel open at one end fixedly housed within said casing in spaced relation to the walls thereof, a cylinder slidably mounted within said casing and telescoping said core barrel, flexible resilient fingers co-extensive with said cylinder, guide means for guiding said fingers inwardly through the sides of said core barrel to sever the core formed by said reaming tool, and to close the open end of said core barrel to retain the severed core therein.

3. In a well drilling apparatus, a tubular rotatable casing having a reaming tool at the lower end thereof, a core barrel open at one end fixedly housed within said casing in spaced relation to the walls thereof, a cylinder slidably mounted within said casing and telescoping said core barrel, flexible resilient fingers co-extensive with said cylinder, said fingers being arranged in opposed pairs of dierent lengths, guide means for guiding llO said lingers inwardly through the sides of said eore barrel to sever the core formed by said reaining tool, and to have their free ends interiit to close the open end of said core barrel to retain the severed core therein.

4. In a Well drilling apparatus, a tubular rotatable easing having a reaining tool at the lower end thereof, a core barrel open at one end fixedly housed Within said easing in spaced relation to the Walls thereof, a cylinder slidably mounted Within said easing and telescoping said core barrel, flexible resilient fingers eo-extensive With said cylinder, guide means for guiding said fingers inwardly through the sides of said core barrel to sever the core formed by said reaining tool, and to close the open end of said core barrel to retain the severed core therein, and a reeiprocable piston for imparting sliding Inoveinents to said cylinder in opposite directions.

5. In a Well drilling' apparatus, a Cylindrical Core barrel open at one end, a cylinder telescoping said Core barrel and provided with depending flexible resilient fingers for passage through slots in said core barrel for meeting engagement at their free ends to elose the open end of said core barrel.

6. In a Well drilling apparatus, a Cylindrieal eore barrel open at one end, a cylinder teleseoping said core barrel and provided With depending iieXible resilient iingers for passage through slots in said core barrel for meeting engagement at their free ends to Close the open end of said core barrel, said fingers being of varying lengths for intertting engagement With each other. A

7. In a Well drilling apparatus, a cylindrical core barrel open'at one end, a cylinder teleseoping said eore barrel and provided with depending fiexible resilient fingers for passage through slots in said core barrel for meeting engagein ent at their free ends to close the open end of said Core barrel, said iingers being arranged in opposed sets of equal lengths, the sets being of diiferent lengths with the free ends bevelled for interfitting engagement With each other.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

RICHARD P. SIMMONS. 

